Cy, Maia & Robert

In the mid-'60s a Danish trio consisting of two men and one woman—Cy Nicklin, Maia Aarskov, and Robert Lelievre—issued a pair of albums on the Sonet label that mixed straightforward acoustic folk with eccentric pop-folk-rock. Although the records were performed entirely in English and drew chiefly on American folk sources, they remain largely unfamiliar to listeners outside Scandinavia. Their debut, On the Scene, presented the group in a style closely modeled on Peter, Paul & Mary, whereas the follow-up, Out of Our Times, shifted toward pop and rock-oriented arrangements. That second LP continues to attract 1960s folk and folk-rock collectors less for the inherent strength of its material and vocals, which remain merely serviceable, than for its distinctive fusion of elements: traces of the harmonizing popularized during the folk boom by Peter, Paul & Mary, echoes of pop-folk acts such as the Seekers, folk-rock touches reminiscent of the Mamas & the Papas, occasional jazz-pop vocal blends, and occasional sweeps of orchestration that verge on sunshine pop.